Harry Potter and The Moment of Clarity
by UnsunkShips
Summary: What happens when Harry asks himself a single question during Second Year that leads him to question just about everything that he ever just accepted in his life? Many things, and almost none of them are good for anyone who wants to control Harry's life. GreyHarry, IndependentHarry, SlightlyOP. Manipulative Dumbledore, Dumbledore, Ron, and Molly bashing. Harry/Hermione, Harry/Harem


The-Boy-Who-Lived, A.K.A, Harry Potter was not particularly happy with how his night was going. He had managed to solve a 50 year old murder, discovered a  
supposedly mythical chamber created by one of the founders of Hogwarts, save Ginny Weasley from both possession and being eaten by a thousand year old Basilisk, find out that Voldemort was actually a half-blood named Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr, kill the Basilisk by stabbing it through the roof of its mouth with the legendary Sword of Gryffindor, which he pulled out of the Sorting Hat, destroy the piece of Voldemort that was in the diary that possessed Ginny, survive a fang of one of the most dangerous creatures in existence being stabbed through his arm, due to Fawkes, the Headmaster's Phoenix, crying into the wound, and then after returning back to the school itself, he had managed to trick Lucius Malfoy into freeing his abused house elf Dobby.

After all of that, he wanted nothing more that to go to his bed and fall asleep. But instead of falling asleep like he wanted, Harry lay awake in his bed until long after his year mates had fallen asleep. Despite his efforts, Harry couldn't get to sleep, because of a single question that had been bouncing around his head from the moment he had first moment he had left the Chamber of Secrets,

'How did none of the teachers figure out that it was a Basilisk that was petrifying students?' Harry thought for what felt like the thousandth that day. Sighing, he gave up hope of trying to get to sleep, throwing his covers off, Harry got out of bed and silently walked over to his school bag to get a roll of parchment, a quill and a jar of ink. Leaving the bedroom, Harry padded down the the Gryffindor common room, he pulled a chair out at one of the tables closest to the still burning fireplace, grateful that the common room was empty and that the fire was still burning bright. Pausing a moment, with his quill hovering over the empty parchment, Harry composed his thoughts and began writing.

How did none of the teachers figure it out that it was a Basilisk, that was attacking students? The clues are pretty obvious:

1: Salazar Slytherin was a known parselmouth with a fondness for snakes

2: Only the 'Heir of Slytherin' Could access the Chamber of Secrets, so it stands to reason that the Heir would also be a parselmouth

3: Whatever was in the Chamber would have had to be able to survive for a thousand years, and injure or kill without harming the victim's body

Yet despite all these clues, only Hermione figured out what it was in the Chamber.

Possible answers:

1: The teachers aren't knowledgeable about magical creatures to figure it out.

2: The teachers did figure it out, but intentionally did nothing to stop it

3: The teachers figured it out and were trying to decide what to do about it on their own

4: The teachers figured it out but didn't say anything to avoid panic

Harry looked over his list, and thought for a minute before adding a final possible answer

5: The teachers figured it out but were told not to say anything , by someone, possibly Dumbledore.

Harry set his quill down, and examined his list, thinking about each possible answer. He almost immediately disregarded answers 1 and 2,

'I can't imagine that the staff of Hogwarts don't have enough knowledge on magical creatures to not realize what was attacking the students. And there was no way that McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, and Madam Pomfrey would risk students lives voluntarily.' Harry thought 'That just leaves the last three options. But which one it is I can't figure out until I have more information.'

Sighing once again, Harry pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, frustrated that he couldn't figure out the answer. Despite what everyone including Ron and Hermione thought, Harry was not just your average student, he could easily compete with Hermione in the intelligence category when he actually tried, before 1st year had ended, Harry had pretty much mastered casting everything that he needed to know for Transfiguration, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, up to third year, along with memorizing the Potions textbooks for each year, creating a mindscape, complete with traps and false memories, and he even began dabbling in Arithmancy and Runes.

But when he lived with the Dursleys, he would be punished severely if he did better than Dudley in school, which wasn't hard considering that Dudley was about as smart as a troll. His Aunt and Uncle would even go as far as blaming Dudley's poor grades on Harry. How they came to that conclusion Harry didn't know, nor did he really care.

When he began at Hogwarts, Harry thought that he would finally be able to make friends and stop holding himself back in class. He did end up making two friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, but when it became apparent that both Ron and Hermione were both the type to get extremely annoyed and jealous when someone did better than they did in class, Harry reluctantly continued to hold back his knowledge, not wanting to risk losing his first friends over his grades.

Harry smiled slightly as he thought back to his first encounter with Ron. The smile quickly turned into a frown, as Harry realized something he hadn't before. During their first interaction Ron had said that he was told Harry Potter was on the train.

'Who told Ron that I was on the train? Molly was the only Weasley there that day who would have known I was the same age as Ron, but she wouldn't have know that I was even attending Hogwarts. The only people who knew that I was actually attending Hogwarts were the Headmaster, the Professors, and Hagrid. Why would any of them tell Molly Weasley of all people that I would be there?' Harry thought, going over the question for a moment before a new thought occurred. Putting the question aside for a moment, Harry thought back even further then his meeting with Ron, back to just after his parents were murdered.

'Why was I placed at the Dursleys? Within less than a day of my parents deaths? Surely there must have been some friends of my parents that would have taken me in. And if I'm so important to the wizarding world then why did no one ever check to see how I was doing? It's very obvious that Vernon and Petunia hate both my parents and magic. So you would think that they would be the last people I should have been placed with, even with the protection of the wards. A whole lot of good the supposed protection did me, what good it stopping outside attacks if I'm already dead from starvation or one of a few hundred beatings.' Harry paused his thought process for a moment, a cold sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach 'What is I was put there intentionally? So that I wouldn't know about magic or my fame, and when I finally entered the wizarding world I would be so starved of affection and companionship, that would latch onto the person who got me out of that horrible place. Which is exactly what I did.' Harry shook his head, and forced his train of thought to stop. Reaching over, Harry once again picked up his quill and began writing:

Within hours of my parents deaths, I was left at the Dursleys, Why?

Possible answers:

1: There was no one able or willing to take me in

2: It was my parent's wish that I be placed there

3: I was intentionally placed there to keep me ignorant of the wizarding world and by proximity, my fame, so that by the time I joined the wizarding world I would be completely ignorant of almost everything I would need to survive here. And by living for a decade with relatives who hate me, I would be so starved for affection and friendship that I would latch onto the person who provided me with companionship and an escape from that horrible place. It was known by who ever sent the Hogwarts acceptance letter that I was being at least neglected. The letter was addressed to "The cupboard under the stairs."

Why did no one ever check up on me?

Possible answers:

1: Dumbledore was so confident in the wards, that he didn't bother checking on me

2: I was checked up on, but Obliviated of the memories

3: No one knew/cared how I was being treated at the Dursleys

Why was Hagrid sent to get me? Rather than someone more experienced and qualified to deal with possible Death Eaters who could have tried to kill me?

Possible answers:

1: Hagrid was available

2: Hagrid was sent intentionally to get me. He's a half giant so he knows what it's like to be different from everyone else, which would make him easier to relate to for someone like me. He's an extremely likeable guy that just seems trustworthy. And he's one of Dumbledore's most loyal followers. Right from the beginning, Hagrid put the idea that Dumbledore is a great man who should be trusted into my head, along with the idea that Slytherin is evil.

Why did Hagrid have my Gringotts key? (Note to self: Ask Hagrid how he got my key, and ask Gringotts for a statement of any transactions since my parents death)

Possible answers:

1: Dumbledore gave it to him, but why would Dumbledore have it?

2: My parents gave it to him, but why would they give it to Hagrid?

Why was I not told how to get to Platform 9 3/4s?

Possible answers:

1: Hagrid forgot to tell me how to get there

2: I deliberately not told so that I would meet the Weasleys

Why was Molly Weasley practically shouting about Muggles? In the Muggle side of the station?

Possible answers:

1: She forgot to keep her voice down

2: To attract the attention of any Muggleborns who also didn't know how to get to the Hogwarts Express

How could Molly possible forget what the platform number was? She went to Hogwarts, and has had children in Hogwarts since Bill started

Possible answers:

1: She couldn't remember it at the moment

2: She was waiting there to meet me, as the Weasleys came through with me,

If the latter is true, why was she sent to meet me?

Possible answers:

1: She is motherly, stiflingly so, and has a large family so I would feel welcomed into the wizarding world.

2: She, along with Hagrid, are among Dumbledore's most loyal supporters, and if I started looking at Molly as my surrogate mother, that would make me more likely to blindly follow Dumbledore.

Who told Ron that I was on the train? And why was Ron told?

Possible answers:

1: Ron overheard someone saying that I was on the train, and decided to look for me

2: Ron was deliberately told that I was on the train, so that he would find and attempt to befriend me (which worked). Ron is an idiot who only cares about three thing: Food, Quidditch and Chess, he also happens to be part of the reason I chose Gryffindor over Slytherin, and is the youngest and least talented/ambitious son of the Weasley family, so being best friends with "The-Boy-Who-Lived" would pretty much let him coast his whole life without doing a thing.

Why did I ask not to be put in Slytherin?

Answer: I asked the hat to not put me in Slytherin,because of my experience with Malfoy, combined with Hagrid and Ron brainwashing me into thinking that Slytherin is evil.

Why was Ron such a prick to Hermione?

Possible answers:

1: He was being a git, and didn't like being shown up, especially by a Muggleborn who hadn't known magic was real until she got her Hogwarts acceptance letter

2: He was told to keep Hermione away from me, so that my only friend would be the son of one of Dumbledore's biggest supporters

Why does Dumbledore employ Snape?

Possible answers:

1: Dumbledore wants to keep an eye on Snape

2: Dumbledore wants to keep students from properly learning potions, so that they are dependant on buying potions they might need instead of being able to brew themselves.

Why did Dumbledore bring the Philosopher's Stone to Hogwarts? And then tell the students not to go into the third floor corridor, unless they wanted to die horribly? That's just inviting half the students in the school to almost kill themselves.

Possible answers:

1: Dumbledore actually believed that the students would heed his warning. But then why add the obstacles?

2: Dumbledore knew, or at least suspected that Voldemort would try to get the Stone.

If Dumbledore thought that Voldemort would try to get the Stone, than why were the obstacles so easy that 3 first years could get past them?

Possible answers:

1: He actually thought that the obstacles would be enough to stop Voldemort

2: He was actually setting up a test for me, to see how well I could adapt

How did Dumbledore not know that Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort for an entire year?

Possible answers:

1: Dumbledore isn't as powerful as everyone believes

2: Dumbledore is so busy with the Wizengamot and the ICW, that he can't properly run Hogwarts

3: He knew, how could he not? (Dumbledore is a master Legilimens, I've felt him trying to get through my shields a few times) But took no steps to actively stop Quirrelmort.

Why would Dumbledore hire that fraud Lockhart?

Possible answers:

1: There was no one else to willing to take the job

2: Having Lockhart teach at Hogwarts would look good for both the school and Dumbledore, but after the first lesson he should have been sacked. Anyone who actually paid attention to his books would see many contradictory dates. So if Dumbledore was willing to ignore Lockhart being a fraud at the very least, (Who knows what else Lockhart did while he was here, he had months of time, dozens of fangirls, and a talent for memory charms. Note to self ask Madam Pomfrey to check everyone for memory charms)

3: Dumbledore knowingly hired an incompetent teacher to keep students ignorant of the dangers of the wizarding world.

Harry stopped writing, and put his quill down, before stretching his stiff neck and cramping hand. He looked at a wall mounted clock, and was surprised to see that it was almost time for breakfast to start, Harry quickly rolled up his parchment, and gathered his quill and ink before anyone came down and saw what he was doing. Harry didn't know if he was just being paranoid after the whole Chamber incident, or if he was finally seeing what was right in front of him the whole time. But until he could confirm one way or the other, he decided to keep his suspicions to himself.

Harry went back into the boy's dorm, moving silently, hoping that he wouldn't wake anyone up. When Harry reached his truck, he cast a quick shrinking charm onto the parchment containing his list before hiding it in a pair of Dudley's old socks at the bottom of the trunk. Harry dressed quickly, already forming a plan in his mind, and was out of Gryffindor Tower before anyone else was awake. Moving quickly Harry worked his way toward the main entrance, hoping that he didn't run into any teachers or early risers among the students. Fortunately, Harry managed to get out of the school without running into anyone, and having to answer possible questions. Not breaking stride, Harry walked down to the lake, ignoring the slight chill that still hung in the air, and went to stand behind a tree, just out of sight from the castle. Harry looked around quickly to make sure that there was no one else around to see him, since what he was about to do was against school rules.

'I hope this works, if it doesn't than I'm going to have to somehow get away from the Dursleys during the summer' Harry thought, looking around once again, before softly calling

"Dobby?"

Almost immediately, the small odd looking elf appeared with a fairly loud pop, causing Harry to jump in surprise.

"The Great Harry Potter called Dobby?" Dobby asked, excited that Harry Potter had actually summoned Dobby despite everything the Dobby had done to Harry Potter over the past year. Harry took a moment to let his heart slow down before answering the now free House Elf

"Yes Dobby, I was wondering if you do me a favor?"

Dobby nodded his head quickly, causing his long ears to bob back and forth

"What does The Great Harry Potter need Dobby to do?"

Harry let out a sigh of relief, responding

"Would it be possible for you to teleport me to Diagon Alley? I need to go to Gringotts, and I don't know who else I can trust at the moment."

Dobby began nodding again, answering

"Dobby can do that for The Great Harry Potter. Take Dobby's hand." Dobby held out his hand for Harry to take. Harry out and took Dobby's hand, and the pair disappeared from the grounds with a loud pop that went unnoticed by everyone at Hogwarts. Unknowingly, Harry had taken the first step toward dismantling Dumbledore's plan for himself and the future of wizarding Britain, a plan that had been thought up and put in place before Harry had even been born.

Authors Note: And the first chapter is done, I know my grammar isn't the best, so I'm looking for someone to beta this story for me. Some character will be slightly OOC in this story, for instance Harry will be more independent and greyer. Other than that this will be a harem story, Hermione will be that main girl, Fleur will be in it as will Tonks, Ginny will not. So if you ship Tonks/Remus or Fleur/Bill, this might not be for you, because I love the characters, but I never shipped those couples. Also there will be plenty of Dumbledore, Ron and Molly bashing anong with others scattered here and there.


End file.
